Lionel Messi scored and assisted for fun.
The ongoing debate on whether or not Lionel Messi deserved the Ballon d’Or this year over Erling Haaland will probably go on for years to come. The head-to-head between the two for the award has arguably been one of the most divisive in recent years.
Atlanta United striker Giorgos Giakoumakis was named the 2023 MLS Newcomer of the Year on Thursday.
An immediate impact in the ️.
Newcomer of the Year: Giorgos Giakoumakis. pic.twitter.com/AyHGq9slod— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 2, 2023
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are undoubtedly the two most popular players on Earth. When it comes to who the third most-known player is people will typically cast their vote for Brazilian star Neymar.
Critics love to discredit the Brazilian as he’s never won the Ballon d’Or nor reached the heights of Messi and Ronaldo. The highest Neymar ever finished in the Ballon d’Or rankings was two third place finishes in 2015 and 2017, behind Messi and Ronaldo both times.
England's 3-2 defeat away by Belgium on Tuesday not only meant they slipped to third in their Women's Nations League group, but put Team Great Britain's 2024 Olympic participation in jeopardy, and now leaves Scotland in a bizarre position.
Team Great Britain is made up of players from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and as the highest ranked British team, England are the nominated nation to qualify on Britain's behalf.
Swiss club Basel's season has gone from bad to worse since it began in July, and with no goals scored in October, they were unable to announce a goal of the month winner on Tuesday.
With four defeats from four games in October, Basel conceded 10 goals and scored none, which led to the club posting a photo of a goal net and a caption which read "No goals in October = No goal of the month" on their social media accounts.
The United States women's national team drew Colombia 0-0 on Thursday in a lackluster friendly game that had one big theme. Alex Morgan couldn’t finish the USWNT’s best chances.
Morgan debuted for the USWNT on a snowy night in Sandy, Utah, back in 2010. The 34-year-old striker was on the field for the Stars and Stripes at the same venue again 13 years later.
The homecoming to Utah will be one to forget for Morgan who squandered three golden chances including a penalty kick.
Some Major League Soccer fans weren’t pleased to hear the news that Lionel Messi was one of three finalists for the MLS Newcomer of the Year award. While the Argentine World Cup winner dominated headlines, he only made six MLS appearances.
Messi joins Atlanta United striker Giorgos Giakoumakis and St. Louis City midfielder Eduard Löwen as the finalists for the newcomer award.
Here’s a brief overview of the three players’ MLS stats this season.
Giakoumakis
Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and AC Milan’s 2023-24 UEFA Champions League campaign has failed to get off the runway. The Italian side was held scoreless again on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes as PSG went top of the group with a 3-0 victory.
Pulisic was arguably one of Milan’s brightest sparks in attack, however his performance will mostly be remembered for a big chance missed in the second half.
Christine Sinclair, the world's all-time leading international goalscorer, has announced her retirement from the Canada women's national team but said she still planned to play for Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) next season.
The 40-year-old Sinclair's illustrious international career includes a record 190 goals for Canada in 327 games, an Olympic gold medal and six World Cup appearances.
"Honestly, you can't play forever," Sinclair told Reuters. "And this seems like a good time to be done."
Kylian Mbappé passed the great Michel Platini to become France’s fourth leading goal scorer in history during Friday’s Euro qualifier which the French won 2-1 vs. Netherlands.
Mbappé tied and surpassed Platini’s place among the great French goal scorers during the game against the Dutch as he scored both goals. The victory secured France a spot in the Euro 2024 edition in Germany.
His second goal was an absurd strike from outside the box that Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen had no chance saving.